Team Hawkes happy to play party pooper with Invisible

As the name would imply, Invisible is flying under the radar heading into Saturday's Magic Millions Classic (1200 metres) at the Gold Coast and Team Hawkes wouldn't have it any other way.

''They can all talk about Bjorn Baker's horse [favourite Unencumbered] and we are happy with that. We know what we've got,'' co-trainer Michael Hawkes said.

Invisible, a colt by All American, was a $280,000 buy this time last year but was not bought to run in the $2 million feature on Saturday. That is not the Hawkes way.

''We are looking to get horses for the long term and the breed has changed in the past 10 years and there aren't as many of those two-year-old running types any more,'' Hawkes said. ''We bought this fellow because he was a cracking type that looked like he would make a good three-year-old. We weren't thinking he would be here now.

''But when he was broken in he showed enough, we made a plan to get him here and it has worked up until now. He has enough talent to go to a Golden Slipper but this is a $2 million race and we will still have enough horse left for when he is a three-year-old, where we think he will be even better.''

The plan for Invisible gave him one chance to earn a trip to the Gold Coast at Canterbury on December 28. He had to win there, but that was not all.

''Winning was only part of it, it came down to how he came through the run and whether he kept improving,'' Hawkes said.

''We don't want to press our horses, that's why we don't have that many runners, but he is handling it [the campaign] well. I knew he was up to this sort of preparation and I don't usually do what I did with him. I saw [jockey] James McDonald at the trials the Tuesday before his start, I told him he should be ready to go to the Gold Coast.''

Team Hawkes has had only four juvenile starters for the season and all have run a place, showing they have the knack of picking the right time to race. There have been two winners: Mossfun in the Inglis Nursery and Invisible at Canterbury.

]''The plan was one run and then come here with him,'' Hawkes said. ''He has drawn well [seven] and he should get the right run, maybe one out fourth or one out sixth. We have put the winkers on him just to focus him a bit more.''

Invisible could give Team Hawkes a winner on Magic Millions day for the fourth consecutive year and has been joined by Traitor for the $100,000 maiden that starts the day. ''He is an example of the sort of horse we try to buy,'' Hawkes said of the son of Mossman.

''He has only had the one start as a colt and then we put him away and cut [gelded] him. We have had a bit of luck in this race and he has drawn well in gate three, and has had two trials to get ready.''